The carriage jostled for quite a while, finally coming to a stop after entering a large workshop in Saint Antoine Town.
Count Mirabeau stepped out and immediately smelled a pungent chemical odor.
He looked up and saw in the distance a row of “cooking pots” bigger than millstones, emitting yellow-white fumes that enshrouded half of the workshop.
In front of the shed was a huge square pool with several sticks hanging above it, and it seemed there were also wooden slats crisscrossing between them.
More than a dozen workers, their arms swollen from the chemicals, were working together to lift something out of the pool and carefully placed it atop a wooden rack that stood taller than a person, before returning to the pool to start stirring again.
Mirabeau held his nose and frowned, thinking, what was the Crown Prince thinking? To arrange a meeting in a paper mill…
As he grumbled to himself, he saw a middle-aged man with a large nose, wearing a black coat, approaching him with a warm greeting, touching his chest, “Oh, Count Mirabeau, I’m delighted to see you here. Although the smell is a bit unpleasant, I believe you’ll come to like this place shortly.”
Mirabeau, with a radiant smile, tipped his hat in return, “I am also delighted to see you, Mr. Dupont.”
He took a few steps forward and lowered his voice, “And him?”
Dupont led him around the large pool, pointing towards a rack enveloped in mist, “His Highness has been waiting for you for quite some time.”
Only then did Mirabeau see the figure standing on the wooden rack taller than a person, a young man whose attire stood out clearly from those around him.
He smirked and with his plump legs, strode quickly forward, bowing to the youth, “It’s an honor to see you, Your Royal Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Dupont hurriedly introduced them from the side, “Your Highness, this is Count Mirabeau.”
Joseph turned to look at Mirabeau—one of the creators of the French National Assembly during the great covenant era and currently a heavy-hitting politician in the Assembly of Notables, a leader among the Capitalist Nobility. He was also a key figure in dealing with the High Court.
He jumped down from the rack and tipped his hat to Mirabeau:
“Ah, wonderful, you’ve finally arrived, Count Mirabeau.”
The workers, kept at a distance by guards in plain clothes, did not hear the conversation among the three.
Curious, Mirabeau inquired, “Your Highness, what are you doing here?”
“Studying paper-making,” Joseph replied with a smile. “Would you like to take a look?”
Mirabeau spread his hands, “Oh, you had me ride a carriage for most of the day to this remote place, just for paper-making?”
“Um, that’s indeed one of the topics we need to discuss,” Joseph stated.
“You see, I have no interest in paper-making,” said Mirabeau with a smile, then continued, “Why don’t you tell me straight, did you come on behalf of Archbishop Brienne?”
“Certainly not, he doesn’t know I’m seeking you out,” stated Joseph seriously. “I am here to befriend you.”
Mirabeau nodded eagerly, “Yes, you are my most esteemed friend.”
He then changed the subject, “Of course, the Duke of Orleans, the Duke of Seville, they are also my friends, so I can’t…”
“No, you are mistaken, they are your enemies.”
“Ah?” Mirabeau was taken aback, thinking this was a rather poor attempt at alliance-building, and quickly shook his head, “No, no, we have a good relationship.”
Joseph continued at a leisurely pace, “They are Old Nobility. And you are a Capitalist Noble. You are natural enemies!”
“What, Capitalist Nobility?”
Joseph explained, “The so-called Old Nobility are those with large tracks of land and estates, whose main sources of income come from grains and ground rent.
“Whereas the Capitalist Nobility, like you, have most of their assets in industries or trade, earning profits as their income.”
Mirabeau nodded, it seemed he had heard similar theories before, “But we are still friends.”
“The conflict between you lies in the labor force, in the needs for the environment!” Joseph asserted, “The Old Nobility need the labor force to work the fields, they want everywhere to be estates, and just a few cities for their enjoyment will do.
“And the Capitalist Nobility needs labor to enter their workshops or to navigate their merchant ships, hoping for as many cities as possible. A few manors producing enough food will suffice.”
“Your conflict with the Old Nobility is irreconcilable. They obstruct your growth, while you aim to destroy the Old Nobility’s paradise!”
Mirabeau was taken aback once more, shaking his head subconsciously, “No…”
Joseph said with a smile, “I know you’re now allied, seeking to gain more power.”
Mirabeau was startled and hurriedly waved his hands, “No, that’s not it!”
Joseph, still smiling, cut him off, “Let’s say, hypothetically, you overthrew the Royal Family, which of course is impossible. Just suppose for a moment, what do you think would happen next?”
“What?”
“A fight to the death between the new and old nobility. To the bitter end!”
Joseph thought to himself: I’ve read history. After the Great Command, you massacred the old nobility without leaving a trace.
Mirabeau fell silent. Carefully reasoning in his heart, he found it to be exactly as the Crown Prince had said—if the King were gone, both sides would certainly fall into deadly conflict until one completely lost its power and influence.
Seeing his expression start to waver, Joseph began to insert his own agenda, “The Royal Family will always need the nobility to help manage the country. To the Royal Family, the new and old nobility are merely different in their approach to development.”
Mirabeau, somewhat frightened, muttered, “I really don’t understand what you’re talking about?”
Joseph continued, “Only the Royal Family can help you remove the obstacles facing the Capitalist Nobility!”
Joseph thought, of course, you could also rely on the bourgeois revolution to remove them, but could I tell you that?
“Ah?”
“For instance, the Royal Family could introduce the Company Law.”
“It includes defining who represents the company, oh, meaning the one who can exercise the company’s power.”
“How to establish, dismantle, or merge companies…”
“And how company shares are issued, allocated, and transferred…”
“The scope and liability of company debts…”
A series of modern corporate concepts, which left Mirabeau wide-eyed—these were common knowledge in later times, but during the early days of the Industrial Revolution, they were extremely valuable experiences.
As a representative of the Capitalist Nobility, Mirabeau placed great emphasis on the development of the industrial sector and was very aware of the issues France faced in this regard. One could say that with such legislation now, the productivity of French workshops would see a significant increase!
Joseph glanced at his expression and continued, “There’s also the Patent Law.”
“Let’s say, you design an efficient machine or very popular fashion, and before you’ve made much money, someone else has copied it.
“Gradually, everyone becomes reluctant to innovate, instead desperately driving down the costs of old industries, until nobody makes money in the end.
“But if there were Patent Law, after you applied for a patent for some invention, others would only be able to use it by paying you, or else face heavy penalties…”
Mirabeau’s eyes suddenly lit up—that was exactly what he needed!
He was very keen to invest in improving the technology in his workshops, but had always held back out of fear that others would benefit instead.
If there were Patent Law, he would be able to quickly enhance his competitive edge, even surpass those damned British!
Joseph kept throwing bait, “By the way, there’s also the Financial Law, Contract Law, and so on…”
After he had introduced the implications of these laws, he looked at Mirabeau, “Do you think, the Old Nobility would support the emergence of these laws?”
Without waiting for Mirabeau to answer, he preempted, “They won’t!
“Only with the Royal Family’s initiative could these laws take shape swiftly, helping the industries of France to rapidly develop!”